The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 403

"By the way, what's your name? It's awkward to keep calling you 'you.'"

"Ah! You can call me Gwang-rok, sir."

"Gwang-rok? Sir? What am I, your older brother? You look at least ten years older than me."

"Ah, but I will still address you as sir!"

As we talked, the Four Evils Alliance warrior I had picked up turned out to be quite personable and good-natured. Given that his martial skills didn't seem outstanding at all, it seemed he had managed to survive within the Four Evils Alliance thanks to his affability.

"That's creepy, so please stop calling me sir."

"Ah, yes! Understood, Great Hero!"

I ended up laughing despite myself. Seeing me laugh, he also laughed heartily. I flicked him on the forehead and spoke.

"Why are you laughing so much? Just answer my questions. If you Four Evils Alliance bastards are eating here, there must be a food storage warehouse where you keep the provisions, right?"

"Yes, there is."

"Where is it?"

"There's a peak called Miwoobong about halfway up Emei Mountain."

"Miwoobong?"

"Yes. According to legend, it's where a farmer climbing the mountain once discovered a white and beautiful cow."

I frowned and spoke.

"Who asked about legends? I'm asking where it is."

"Ah! Yes. I'll explain in detail. Are you familiar with the geography here?"

"I'm not from this place, so how would I know the geography?"

"Right. I thought so, so I was planning to explain in detail how to climb Miwoobong."

He began to explain the location of Miwoobong in a smooth voice. Fortunately, he had quite a talent for explaining geography. As I listened to his story, I could visualize the place in my mind as if I had been there before.

"And there are about fifteen to twenty people guarding that place. Most of the personnel are concentrated on surrounding Emei Mountain to prevent the Emei monks from descending, so not many people are guarding the warehouse. Besides, who would think that someone would steal the Four Evils Alliance's food?"

"Alright. I've got a good understanding now. You explained it well in detail."

"Is that so? Haha! I'm glad you understood well."

He glanced at me and continued.

"So... are you going to let me go now?"

I shook my head without needing to think.

"No. That's not possible."

"Great Hero! I really told you everything I know to the best of my ability. Isn't this breaking our promise...?"

"Do you remember exactly what our promise was?"

"Wasn't it that if I answered your questions faithfully, you would spare me?"

"That's right. So I'm not planning to break the promise entirely. It's just that my questions aren't finished yet."

"Pardon...?"

I shrugged and spoke.

"Simply put, I still have more things I'm curious about. After I save the Emei Sect, I still have more to ask you about the Four Evils Alliance's main base. I'll let you go after I've heard everything."

"....... I see. So I should wait for Great Hero to save the Emei Sect from those vicious Four Evils Alliance bastards as soon as possible?"

He was saying such things even though he himself had been part of those vicious bastards just moments ago. I laughed and spoke.

"Yeah. So if you think of anything that might help me, tell me anything. That way you'll be released sooner."

"Yes. Understood, Great Hero!"

After that, he continued to chat with me about things both useful and useless. In return, I loosened the rope binding his arms a bit and left the prison cell, closing the door securely. For now, I told them to give him water since the Emei monks didn't have enough food, but if we could take food from the Four Evils Alliance bastards, I decided I should have them give him some to eat as well.

'First, I need to go back to the Sect Leader. For this operation to be executed properly, the cooperation of the Emei warriors is absolutely essential.'

To be precise, it wasn't that they were helping with my strategy, it was that I was helping them survive. But I decided not to think about such things. After all, they were bastards to be wiped out anyway. Whether for me, for the Emei Sect, or for the martial world, it would ultimately be work for the sake of the jianghu.

* * *

"Yawn.... This is so boring. Of all days, I have to work in this tedious place."

At the temporary food storage warehouse of the Four Evils Alliance on Miwoobong Peak of Emei Mountain, the warrior guarding it couldn't bear the boredom and yawned.

"If I were guarding a place where the Emei monks might escape, I could at least catch them trying to run away.... but nothing seems to happen here."

Then another warrior guarding the warehouse with him clicked his tongue and spoke.

"Still, isn't working in a boring place better than dying?"

"Dying? Ah. Are you talking about the story of how some fellows died a few days ago?"

"Yeah. Even though they say we're not being used right now, we're still one of the pillars of the Nine Great Sects. We absolutely must not be careless."

"Tch. Careless? I don't understand why our Great Leader hasn't attacked the Emei Sect yet and just leaves them alone. By now, there shouldn't be many people who can move properly."

From their conversation, it seemed the Four Evils Alliance still hadn't noticed that Un Jeong, Un Mi, and the Emei monks were constantly going up and down the mountain to find food.

"But haven't things been strange recently? They're trying to escape more and more frequently, and strangely, their movements are much more vigorous than before. It's been over a month since we've been blockading the Emei Sect, so the provisions we've been storing should have run out long ago."

"Isn't that just their last desperate struggle? They probably think they'll really starve to death if they don't do this, so they're making a desperate attempt."

"Is that so? Hmm.... But they seem to be moving too well for that...."

The warrior felt something was a bit strange, but didn't think much of it and let it pass. As the other warrior said, the Emei monks probably hadn't eaten anything recently. And although water flows through the gorge where the Emei Sect is located, there aren't many fish or wild animals, so there's a limit to what they can hunt and eat.

Swish—

Because of such thoughts, they didn't notice at all. People were gathering around them, one by one.

"Yawn—! I'm getting sleepy. I need to take a short nap over there."

"What if someone catches you?"

"Who would catch me? You know as well as I do that no one cares about this place. I'll just sleep for about an hour or so. If I don't wake up by then, please wake me up."

The warrior said this and went into the grass, lay down, and immediately closed his eyes. Time passed as promised.

"Wake up. Time's up."

"......."

But there was no answer.

"Sigh. How deeply is he sleeping?"

So the warrior had no choice but to part the grass and enter to wake the other warrior.

"Come on, wake up. What if the squad leader comes? It's already past the promised time."

But the warrior wasn't moving at all. Unable to help it, he sighed deeply and approached to shake him awake.

"Come on, wake up... Huh?!"

The moment he touched him, he gasped in shock. It didn't feel like touching a person. It was far too hard and cold.

"Wh...? What's wrong with you?"

When he flipped him over, the warrior realized he was already dead. Even in such a situation, he didn't think that someone had come here and killed him. He only thought he had died suddenly in his sleep. That's how impossible the Four Evils Alliance warriors thought it was for the Emei monks to reach this place.

"I... I need to report this to the squad leader."

There's no way to save someone already dead. The moment he stood up to report the current situation to the squad leader.

Thud!

"Wh...?"

A sword suddenly burst from the nearby tree, piercing his heart. Unable to understand what was happening, he looked down at his chest with eyes full of confusion and shock, and only confirmed the white sword piercing through his chest.

"Ugh...."

He fell forward with a thud without even leaving a final cry. He had breathed his last. Not just these two, but all those guarding this place began to quietly meet their end. The quietest storm was rising in the place where they were most careless.

* * *

I left the Emei Sect with Senior Brothers Un Jeong and Un Mi, and about sixteen of the most skilled warriors from within the Emei Sect, heading toward Miwoobong. Breaking through their siege was simple. The monks with swift movement techniques, including Monk Ju Ryeong, drew the Four Evils Alliance's attention, and we escaped during that gap. Unlike the usual two or three people who would escape, this time we had quite a large number, so we couldn't slip away completely unnoticed. Instead, because there were many of us, we cut down all those we couldn't shake off and made it here.

"Alright. Now take as much food as you can carry and return. The gap we made in the siege on the way here probably hasn't been completely filled yet. So let's hurry back up."

"Yes, Dojang."

The Emei monks listened well to my words. We scattered and began taking as much provisions from the warehouse as we could carry. Once we had taken as much as we could, we didn't hesitate and headed straight back to the Emei Sect. We might encounter some Four Evils Alliance warriors on the way, but now we don't care much. Since they're already in confusion, we can just break through and go up. And if we engage them and cause even more chaos, my next operation will be much smoother.

"Make as much noise as possible going up. Understood? However, if it seems dangerous, escape upward immediately."

"Yes. Understood!"

The Emei monks answered loudly and followed behind me. Perhaps because they were carrying food on their backs? Their expressions seemed much more enthusiastic than before.

"Ah, they're coming up from below again!"

How far up had we climbed? A Four Evils Alliance warrior guarding the siege spotted us climbing and shouted.

"What? From below? But several people are trying to go down from above!"

"They're carrying something on their backs! Food! They're the ones procuring food!"

The Four Evils Alliance warriors were flustered but managed to understand the situation somewhat. However, understanding the situation didn't change anything.

Swish—

I drew the Red Dragon Sword and deployed my movement technique at an even faster speed, quickly approaching them.

Swoosh!

I swung my sword and slashed their chests. I showed no mercy in my hands. It was to instill fear in them.

"An expert! It's an expert!"

"Gyuil and Gyugyu were cut down in one strike! Call the squad leader!"

Perhaps because I had cut down two men in one move, the Four Evils Alliance warriors didn't dare approach us. I stepped through them once more with my movement technique. Then the Four Evils Alliance warriors who didn't want to die by my sword split to both sides, creating a gap.

"Now! Quickly run up!"

I sent my senior brothers and the Emei warriors up first through that gap, then spoke to the Four Evils Alliance warriors.

"Well. Who wants to die first?"

"......."

I spoke boldly, but not a single person stepped forward.

"If no one wants to die, I won't kill anyone for now."

Seeing my words, relief appeared on some warriors' faces. I turned around and began climbing back toward the Emei Sect, and no one followed me.

(End of Chapter)